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Fox scores franchise-best 60 but Kings lose in OT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- When De'Aaron Fox saw that he had 48 points in the fourth quarter in Friday's 130-126 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, teammate Malik Monk told him, "You might as well go get 60."
The Kings' guard had 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to finish with a franchise-record 60 points, besting Jack Twyman's 59 points for the Cincinnati Royals in 1960 and DeMarcus Cousins' 56-point performance in 2016, which was the most since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985.
Twyman's had been the longest standing single-game franchise record in the NBA. With Fox breaking Twyman's mark, the new longest standing single-game franchise record for points belongs to Bob Pettit in 1961, who co-holds the Hawks record with Dominique Wilkins and Lou Hudson.
"I knew I was nice already, so I wouldn't really say so," Fox said when asked if he learned anything about himself.
Fox shot 22-of-35 from the field, made 6 of 10 from distance and was 10-of-11 on free throws. He had 21 points at halftime and willed the Kings back from a 20-point second-half deficit as he spurred a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter.
"I wanted this game to end in the fourth quarter, so I don't even want to have the opportunity to (get 60 points), but my teammates wanted me to keep going, obviously," Fox said.
Kings coach Mike Brown said that Fox took it upon himself with Monk and DeMar DeRozan both injured.
"He knew we needed help and he put us on his back, and he almost carried us to the finish line," Brown said. "He did everything in his power, and it was a spectacular performance by him."
Fox had the first 60-point game in the NBA this season. Keegan Murray said that it was a little difficult to balance between getting Fox the ball and running the team's offense, but he thought the Kings "did a solid job of figuring out how to play when he was hot today."
"When he's aggressive all the time, he's extremely tough to stop," Murray said. "I think that was just a representation of him being aggressive the entire game. And that's what he's capable of."
Fox went shot-for-shot with the Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards down the stretch, with Edwards' 36 points leading Minnesota to a resilient win.
"Obviously, at the end of the day, that type of performance, that type of accomplishment, is nothing to just breathe over and let go. It's definitely cool." De'Aaron Fox
"I've always felt like he was underrated, underappreciated by everybody," Edwards said on the Timberwolves television broadcast. "And he showed us today who he is. To me, he's one of the best point guards in the league, and he showed it."
"That's what you love about the game, the best two players on the floor going at each other, so that was fun."
Since the start of last season, there have been eight 60-point games. During that span, teams are 3-5 when a player scores 60 or more.
Fox, who has only made one All-Star team despite averaging over 21 points per game in eight seasons, said he still relishes in his performance even in a loss.
"Obviously, at the end of the day, that type of performance, that type of accomplishment, is nothing to just breathe over and let go," Fox said. "It's definitely cool."
Fox made 22 shots, 21 of which were unassisted. That is tied for the second most unassisted field goals in a game in the past 25 years, trailing only Portland's Andre Miller in 2010 against the Dallas Mavericks (22).
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lyon have been banned from making any transfers in the January transfer window and provisionally relegated from Ligue 1 at the end of the season because of financial mismanagement
The National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) handed down the punishment to the team owned by American businessman John Textor after a hearing on Friday.
If Lyon are to avoid being relegated to France's second tier by the DNCG at the end of the season, they will need to demonstrate a much healthier economic outlook.
As part of the punishment, the club is forced to announce a limit on the budget forecast for player salaries, as overseen by the DNCG.
"The meeting went well. We have no problems with the continuity of the model or with financial viability," Textor said after the hearing.
He also announced a public presentation for Saturday where he will show the documents he presented to the DNCG.
The DNCG maintains strict control and regulation on professional football club accounts so as to avoid overspending and clubs going into administration.
The French giants won seven league titles in a row from 2002 to 2008 and reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals twice during that period.
Textor, who also owns shares in Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Brazilian top league leader Botafogo, has had a difficult two years in France owing to the lack of financial stability at the club since his arrival. Lyon have recently reported financial debt of up to 505.1 million.
Lyon currently sit fifth in Ligue 1 on 18 points having recently won the derby against bitter rivals Saint-Etienne.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A brace from Luis Palma on Friday carried Honduras to a 2-0 Concacaf Nations League victory over Mexico in the first leg of a quarterfinal series.
Mexico national team coach Javier Aguirre was injured by a bottle thrown from the stands after the final whistle. The coach was seen bleeding as he made his way to the locker room.
Held at Honduras' Estadio Francisco Morazan in San Pedro Sula, the home side first dealt with an early setback after midfielder Alexander López suffered an injury that forced a substitution in the 10th minute. Despite the tactical alteration, Honduras found a way to keep pace with Mexico in the rainy clash.
Along with often goading the visitors to dive into tackles that led to fouls in dangerous areas, 'La H' held Mexico to just one shot on target in the first half. Although Reinaldo Rueda's men had two shots on target of their own in response, the result remained level in the quarterfinal that sat at 0-0 by the halftime break.
Whether it be due to adjusting to the stormy conditions or seeking a more risk-taking approach, both teams were proactive in the second half.
El Tri were the first to take charge after the break. With more attacking pressure, Mexico nearly found the back of the net after winger Julián Quiñones launched a long-range shot in the 57th minute that skimmed the woodwork. Eager to make their own mark, Honduras were later revived with the additions of Yustin Arboleda and Palma off the bench.
GUSTAVO AMADOR/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Moments after being substituted in, then came the game-changing moment from Palma. After pouncing on a rebounded shot from Edwin Rodriguez, Palma struck the ball past Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 64th minute to make it 1-0. With momentum now in his team's favor, the Celtic forward was far from done.
In the 83rd minute, Palma confidently dribbled down the left flank, cut inside, and then sent another shot past Ochoa -- thereby making it 2-0. Desperate to make an impact, Aguirre brought on two strikers as substitutes, but failed to change the result that was cemented at the final whistle.
After tonight's meeting in Honduras, both sides will travel to Toluca for the second leg of the Nations League quarterfinal that will be hosted by Mexico on Nov. 19.
The aggregate score from the two matches will determine a place in next spring's semifinal round and also the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup tournament.
The losers of the quarterfinal series have a second chance at Gold Cup qualification through a preliminary competition. Away goals are set as the first tiebreaker in the upcoming second leg, and if still level, two halves of extra time follow. If needed, penalties will decide the winners of the quarterfinal.
Neither country has yet to lift a Nations League title. While Honduras' best position in the competition was at third in 2021, Mexico have fallen just short of a trophy as finalists in 2021 and 2024.
Walter emphasises South Africa's 'balancing act' after series defeat to India
Walter argued that is in the inevitable consequence of trying to deepen the player pool.
Since Walter took over in February 2023, South Africa have played seven bilateral T20I series and not won any of them, which he acknowledged is an "incredibly difficult," thing to accept. But it may be made easier with the knowledge that he is also the only coach to oversee the men's team to a major tournament final, at this year's T20 World Cup.
Asked to explain the discrepancy between their bilateral form and the tournament success, Walter did not miss a beat. "The easy answer is that when we go to the world tournaments, we're picking our very best 15 players but we can't pick those same 15 players every single time we play. It's just not feasible. It's just too much cricket. So, the rest of the time we have to build our base of players up to be to the same level, which is what you're seeing with the Indian side, right?"
Only four of the XI that won the T20 World Cup in June were part of the Indian squad that beat South Africa in this series, which speaks as much to the quality of their depth as it does to the concern with South Africa's and Walter recognised that.
"Their fringe players are stepping up and creating pressure on the guys that are in main XI," he said. "Ultimately, if you look at the stats around the number of players used by the different international sides, they all sit in the same space over the last two years, in between 30 and 36 players roughly. Everyone's attempting to do the same thing because the cricket landscape is actually the same for everyone."
And that's where he may stand corrected, to some extent. India are the only country who do not have to concern themselves with losing players to franchise leagues because they do not allow their active players to compete anywhere but the IPL, which offers sufficient compensation. South Africa, whose home currency, the Rand, is the weakest among SENA countries, are at particular risk of their players opting for hard currency payments in leagues abroad and the two biggest examples are Nortje and Shamsi. Both opted out of central contracts this year - Nortje partly because he wanted to manage which formats he played as he came back from a severe injury - and though they are available for South Africa, there is also a need to look elsewhere.
"A guy like Anrich, I certainly wouldn't doubt his want to play for South Africa and his commitment to do that. But he made a decision personally around contracting so that he could move away from playing Test cricket for a while. I think physically he was finding it a bit tough to do everything and I respect that," Walter said. "At the end of the day, when it comes to the world tournaments, we want to pick our best side. And if he is one of those best players, we consider him. Shammo has done exactly the same thing. We need to be cognisant of what's happening in world cricket. It's not easy and the national side is competing with franchise cricket. The money lies in franchise cricket, not international cricket. That's the reality that we live in."
There was an audible sigh before he finished that thought. "And so, again, the balancing act continues."
Taylor edges out Serrano in controversial decision
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Katie Taylor retained her undisputed women's lightweight championship with a controversial and unpopular unanimous decision over Amanda Serrano on Friday night at AT&T Stadium.
The fight was a return bout of their magnificent 2022 encounter that headlined Madison Square Garden that Taylor won by narrow split decision. It was the first time two women headlined at the historic arena, as both earned seven-figure paydays for the encounter, a first in women's boxing.
Friday's rematch was one of the most highly anticipated fights in the history of women's boxing. Just like their first encounter, two of the best pound-for-pound women in boxing delivered a battle that thrilled the crowd.
And just like their initial meeting, the result ended in controversy. Though most of the crowd -- and the stats -- seemed to favor Serrano, all three judges scored it 95-94 in favor of Taylor.
"This is an amazing moment again for women's boxing, and we put on a show," Taylor said. "We put on a performance again for everybody, and just thank God for another amazing night."
Fighting out of Dublin, Ireland, Taylor was coming off a majority decision win over Chantelle Cameron last November when she reclaimed the undisputed women's light welterweight championship. Cameron handed Taylor the first loss of her professional career in May 2023, and it appeared that Serrano was close to handing Taylor her second.
However, the judges didn't see it that way
"I knew it was going to be a little shady, but listen, I came here, I chose to be great," Serrano said. "I went up three divisions. I lost. I dared to be great tonight, and I went up three divisions. I'm the featherweight champion of the world, and I want to be great."
Serrano, 36, entered the fight a winner of five consecutive fights after losing to Taylor in their first bout. In her previous outing, Serrano needed only two rounds to stop an overmatched Stevie Morgan in July.
After spending time as the unified women's featherweight champion, Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) moved up to lightweight to challenge Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs). Despite moving up in weight, Serrano looked stronger and was more active in the rematch.
"We trained so hard for those moments," said Taylor. "Anybody's punch can change a fight in boxing and she's a hard puncher. She's a very tough warrior and I was prepared for that. I don't care if the commentary team or the crowd disagree."
Serrano started off strong, imposing her will and clubbing Taylor with combinations and body punches. Taylor, 38, struggled to fend off Serrano's charge and found herself fighting off her backfoot in the early rounds. The Irishwoman steadied herself in Round 3 and attempted to hold her ground whenever Serrano advanced. This resulted in the two woman routinely clashing heads, opening a terrible cut above Serrano's eye that only got worse as the rounds wore on. With Taylor initiating the clinches, she was deducted a point in Round 8.
Taylor battled her way back into the fight with a frantically paced set of middle rounds, with both refusing to give up ground as the crowd roared in approval. But Serrano was the busier fighter, outpacing Taylor by a wide margin. Serrano landed 324 of 734 punches, while Taylor landed 217 of 529. The judges didn't reward Serrano for her activity.
With the series now in favor of Taylor at 2-0, the controversial nature of both wins may still justify a third fight.
Paul cruises to one-sided decision over Tyson
Jake Paul rolled to a unanimous decision victory over Mike Tyson on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The judges scored the bout 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 for Paul.
Tyson, 58, tried to push the pace in the opening round, but Paul's youth and speed advantages quickly became evident as he peppered the former heavyweight champion with shots from a distance and Tyson's activity level started to wane.
Tyson never appeared to be in trouble, but Paul controlled the fight with his steady volume and cleaner, more effective punches. Paul outlanded Tyson 78-18.
Paul (11-1, 7 KOs), a 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, entered Saturday's fight with three straight wins since his lone defeat, to Tommy Fury by split decision in February 2023.
Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs) last stepped into the ring against Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition bout in November 2020, but Friday night marked his first sanctioned boxing match since June 11, 2005, when he quit on the stool before the seventh round in a TKO loss to Kevin McBride.
Saturday's fight, scheduled to be contested over eight two-minute rounds, was originally scheduled for July 20 but was postponed in late May after Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.
Jake Paul takes down Mike Tyson via unanimous decision as fight goes the distance
Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson with a unanimous decision in an eight-round heavyweight match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday.
All three judges scored the fight for Paul 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.
The fight, sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, was contested at 2-minute rounds and both fighter wore 14-ounce gloves instead of the regular 10-ounce gloves for heavyweight fights.
Tyson, 58, and Paul, 27, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, were scheduled to meet on July 20, but the fight was postponed after Tyson received medical attention during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles in May for an ulcer flareup.
Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs) became the youngest heavyweight champion at age 20 in 1986 and a year later he had unified all three major belts to become undisputed champion. He made six defenses of the three belts until losing in a historic upset to James "Buster" Douglas by 10th-round KO in February 1990.
Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) started his boxing career in 2020 with six consecutive victories fighting mostly against former MMA fighters. Paul's only loss came against Tommy Fury in February 2023, but he has won four straight fights since.
Harden tied with Allen for second in all-time 3s
HOUSTON -- LA Clippers star James Harden moved into a tie with Hall of Famer Ray Allen for second place on the NBA's career made 3-pointers list in a loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Harden now has 2,973, well behind Golden State's Stephen Curry, who entered Friday night with 3,779.
Harden entered the game three behind Allen, who played 18 seasons. He made 3 of 6 attempts in the first quarter to tie Allen but missed three more attempts the rest of the way.
He didn't play in the fourth with Houston up by 19 entering the quarter.
Harden tied Allen in the city where he became a star during his nine years with the Rockets. The 35-year-old was voted MVP in the 2017-18 season and made the All-Star Game eight times in Houston before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021
Most of his 3-pointers came with the Rockets, where he piled up 2,029. He made 320 in his first three NBA seasons while with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He added 207 in two seasons in Philadelphia and 198 in parts of two seasons in Brooklyn.
Harden has made 219 3-pointers for the Clippers, where he is beginning his second season.
CP3 joins Stockton, Kidd with 12,000 career assists
SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul became the third player in NBA history to reach 12,000 assists for his career on Friday.
With his third assist just 3:34 into San Antonio's 120-115 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Paul joined a list previously occupied by only John Stockton (15,806) and Jason Kidd (12,091).
"I remember the first time I played in Utah, and I looked up and saw John Stockton was the all-time assists and steals leader, and I was like, 'I'm gonna catch that,'" Paul said. "That was a lie. But to be second behind John Stockton is really cool."
Paul dished his first two assists within the first 2:14 of Friday's game, finding Julian Champagnie for a driving layup and Victor Wembanyama for a 29-footer from the wing as San Antonio built an 11-0 advantage.
Paul stepped into the NBA record book in emphatic fashion with 8:26 remaining in the opening quarter by tossing a lob to a cutting Wembanyama for a two-handed jam on an alley-oop, as the Spurs surged ahead 13-4 in their NBA Cup opener.
Paul finished with 11 points, 11 assists and two steals, but San Antonio remains winless (0-5) since last season in NBA Cup games.
"Wow, that's such a big number," Wembanyama said of Paul's 12,000-assists milestone. "It's hard to imagine how much you need to average for how many years [to get there]. Eventually, every player, we want to see our names up there one day. It's just incredible."
The Spurs expected Paul to make an immediate impact on a young, inexperienced squad back in July, when they signed him to play alongside 20-year-old phenom Wembanyama. Paul hasn't disappointed on that front, having pieced together six 10-assist games this season.
"The first thing I say in any of these situations you go into, you've got to show guys that you can hoop," Paul said of joining a young team. "I don't go in there trying to be anybody's coach. They want to see what you do now, right? That's why I've trained and worked the way I work because you can tell them all you want to tell them. But they want to see it."
"I remember the first time I played in Utah, and I looked up and saw John Stockton was the all-time assists and steals leader, and I was like, 'I'm gonna catch that.' That was a lie. But to be second behind John Stockton is really cool." Chris Paul
Paul has also produced five 10-assist double-doubles this season; he has 518 for his career, second in league annals behind Stockton.
Although the arrival of Paul has slowed down San Antonio's pace, the Spurs have managed to maintain effectiveness in assist percentage with the veteran point guard at the controls. San Antonio ranked 22nd in pace entering Friday after finishing last season No. 3 in the league. The Spurs ranked No. 2 in assist percentage (68.7%) going into Friday.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock to end the first quarter, the Frost Bank Center scoreboard displayed a graphic featuring Paul standing with his arms crossed in celebration of his latest milestone.
"That's a crazy achievement," Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle said. "I'm more than happy for CP and I'm looking forward to him doing more this season for sure."
Mitchell scores 37 as Cavs stretch record to 14-0
CLEVELAND -- Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points, Darius Garland had 29 and the Cleveland Cavaliers continued one of the best starts in league history, improving to 14-0 with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in an NBA Cup game.
The Cavs are the sixth team to go 14-0 and first since the Golden State Warriors opened 24-0 in 2015-16.
Cleveland's 14-game winning streak is the longest in the club's 55-year existence. The Cavs won 13 in a row three times when LeBron James played for them.
Jarrett Allen added 24 points and Caris LeVert had 22 for the Cavs, who have been perfect under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson. Their 144 points is tied for their fifth most in a game in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.
"We just have this incredible chemistry, incredible understanding of each other... and respect for each other," Atkinson said. "It's beautiful, beautiful to watch."
Coby White scored 29 and Nikola Vucevic contributed 25 for the Bulls, who were still within four points on Ayo Dosunmu's dunk with 2:55 left. However, LeVert and Mitchell dropped 3-pointers as the Cavs blitzed the Bulls 21-7 the rest of the way.
Cleveland was on fire to open the game, going 19-for-22 from the field in the first quarter to build a 49-34 lead. Garland scored 15 points over the first 12 minutes of action.
The 49 points were the most the Cavaliers have scored in a quarter in franchise history.
A triple from Mitchell extended the Cleveland lead to 19 at 57-38 with 10:16 left in the second quarter, but Chicago didn't get discouraged. It put together a monster 27-12 run, pulling within 69-65 with 2:39 to go in the first half.
However, Garland and Allen each converted a three-point play to help the Cavaliers stay in front, and Cleveland took a 77-73 advantage into the break.
"When you have this much depth it's fun," Atkinson said. "Even at the end there, Georges (Niang) was playing well but I think we need a little more defense... oh we got Dean Wade over there! It's almost like an embarrassment of riches."
The Cavs played without starting forward Evan Mobley, who has been battling an illness the past few days.
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
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